Through my involvement in the Laidlaw Scholars Programme, I have begun to develop a deeper understanding of what it means to lead with responsibility, reflection, and ethical awareness in complex and uncertain environments. The programme has encouraged me to think more critically about leadership not as authority or control, but as the ability to act with clarity of purpose, adapt to changing conditions, and remain accountable to those being served. These reflections, particularly around resilience and courage, have shaped how I approach real-world challenges and inspired me to design my Leadership-in-Action project.
As part of my practical experience, I previously interned with the Hong Kong Red Cross, where I supported the provision of community shelter services during winter emergencies. This involved assisting with operational logistics and coordination to ensure that vulnerable individuals and volunteers were supported during extreme weather conditions. While this experience provided important exposure to humanitarian operations, my current LiA proposal moves beyond this by designing a new intervention that I have not previously implemented: volunteer-run rest stations for extreme heat events in Hong Kong.
This project responds to a different but equally urgent seasonal challenge. Instead of winter shelter provision, it focuses on summer heat relief for asylum seekers and homeless individuals who are highly exposed to heat-related risks such as dehydration and heat exhaustion. It requires me to adapt established disaster relief principles to a new context, while also taking greater ownership in designing the system, coordinating volunteers, and shaping the service model from the ground up.
The development of this project has been strongly influenced by Laidlaw training, particularly its emphasis on resilience, ethical judgement, and reflective practice. Resilience, in this context, means the ability to persist and remain effective in high-pressure situations where conditions are unpredictable. Courage involves taking responsibility for initiating new ideas and stepping into uncertainty without guaranteed outcomes. Responsibility and ethical awareness require me to ensure that all decisions prioritise dignity, fairness, and the wellbeing of vulnerable individuals, especially when resources are limited and needs are immediate. Reflection allows me to continuously evaluate my actions and improve the effectiveness of the intervention over time. This combination of skills has shaped my understanding of global citizenship as an active commitment to responding to inequality and vulnerability in practical ways. It has also encouraged me to recognise that humanitarian challenges are not static, but shift across contexts and seasons, requiring adaptable and locally grounded responses.
Through this Leadership-in-Action project, I aim to translate these values into practice by designing and leading a structured, volunteer-driven response to extreme heat in Hong Kong. In doing so, I hope to further develop my ability to lead ethically and effectively in real-world settings, while contributing meaningfully to the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable communities.